What’s the Doc up to? (…or down to)

Last month we came to you with fantastic news that Dr. Waggoner had reached 35 pounds of weight loss! I can attest to his hard work ethic at losing the weight, because I workout with him 4-5 times a week, and he is not only exercising on the days we aren’t together, he’s doing extra exercise on days we are. That’s commitment!

However, all was not sunny in the month of April. That’s true in more ways than one. While we were still getting snow here in Indiana, Dr. Waggoner spent a week in Mexico with his family enjoying some sun. Unfortunately, he came back 5 pounds heavier than when he left. This is a good reminder. Often, breaking from our daily routine, especially when creating new habits of healthier living can be a huge detriment to our goals. Vacation is not a bad thing, but all of that extra time can either be filled with activity (calories burned) or consumption (calories gained). It takes 3,500 calories to gain one pound. That means that Doc ate 17,500 extra calories than if he would have simply maintained the weight he was already at. That doesn’t even take into account the fact he was supposed to lose 2 pounds that week (an additional deficit of 7,000 calories).

The good news is that Doc worked extremely hard upon his return from vacation, and was able to end up only one pound short of his goal of 243 pounds. Right now, he is sitting at 244. Just look at the difference from day one! The warmer weather has been providing an opportunity for more bike riding, speaking from experience, he is getting more fit, and it’s getting harder for me to push him during workouts. We want to keep some anticipation and excitement, so this will be the last time we do a before/after photo until the end of the year. Just imagine what he’ll look like when he’s down another 50 pounds!